CHICAGO | Hyde Park Development

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by Rally Monkey

Hm. That's where the Schulze Baking Company Building is. No open lots around there, and it's at the outskirts of the Green Line redevelopment zone. I'd be surprised if the University was eyeing any projects that far from Washington Park.

Is this the project you have in mind: https://scitopiachicago.org/? It's a planned STEAM center for teens that's headed up by a U of C paleontologist.

I am not familiar with this, but this looks amazing, and may be part of something, perhaps a separate initiative, different from the one I've mentioned which is specifically a prep, research and preservation lab.

But this one that you provided a link to is awesome, I hope it becomes a reality!

[Klippenstein]

^I’m especially excited about a Conservatory on the South Side. I’ve been dreaming about that for a long time. They mention the Southwest Side though so it seems like that would be at a different site.

[WestsideLA]

Originally Posted by BrinChi

Thank you. I got a blood clot in my leg from an international flight last week, unfortunately. I'll be fine, it's more annoying than anything. Let that be a lesson to make sure you get up and stretch your legs on long flights... and those of us who WFH should also be careful.

Anyway, about the ER: I imagine the existence of the ER itself is definitely permanent. I also recall reading about its opening several years back, so I was expecting state of the art. It was originally located around 58th and Maryland - I never visited at this location, but sometime since the end of 2020 it relocated to 57th and Maryland, and this structure used to be exclusively a parking garage. I'm not sure why it was relocated and I even tried to ask a few nurses and staff to get background about the relocation but they didn't have much info. The current facility seems like a patchwork buildout, so that's why I'm wondering if this is intended to be its permanent home, and if they plan to improve it in the near future. I sure hope so!

The parking garage was built brand new a few years ago with the idea of having the ER / trauma center on the first floor. They spent $40 million on it. Quite a bit larger and more advanced than the old Mitchell ER, as I understand it.

https://hfsrb.illinois.gov/content/d...pplication.pdf

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/cere...icago-medicine

My understanding is that parking garage was also built with a hardened core / floor so that a medical office building could also be built on top eventually.

I believe the ER / trauma center is one of the most advanced and expensive in the city, if not the most advanced and expensive.

[WestsideLA]

Any thoughts on this? Do you think it will just have academic uses? Or commercial as well?

https://www.hpherald.com/news/local/...7cc6a0e75.html

[Rally Monkey]

Originally Posted by sentinel

Yup! Across the street from Schulze.

Oh, yeah, now that I think about it, I recall seeing that the U of C acquired several of the parcels just east of the Schulze Building, where the old brick warehouses are. I'm guessing that's the spot for the development? If so, that's really interesting: It's several blocks from Washington Park and would show that the University has pretty ambitious designs for the area around the Green Line stop.

[Rally Monkey]

Originally Posted by WestsideLA

Any thoughts on this? Do you think it will just have academic uses? Or commercial as well?

https://www.hpherald.com/news/local/...7cc6a0e75.html

My thought is that it will be used as additional academic and administrative space for the University. Maybe to house an academic program. The building isn't really designed for commercial space.

[Rally Monkey]

Originally Posted by sentinel

I am not familiar with this, but this looks amazing, and may be part of something, perhaps a separate initiative, different from the one I've mentioned which is specifically a prep, research and preservation lab.

But this one that you provided a link to is awesome, I hope it becomes a reality!

Ah, I found it! Here's information about the fossil lab project: https://paulborgconstruction.com/fossil-lab. As I guessed, it's in the old warehouse space next to the iconic Ms. Biscuit restaurant, across from the Schulze Building. That's going to really activate this historic corner.

[BrinChi]

Originally Posted by WestsideLA

The parking garage was built brand new a few years ago with the idea of having the ER / trauma center on the first floor. They spent $40 million on it. Quite a bit larger and more advanced than the old Mitchell ER, as I understand it.

https://hfsrb.illinois.gov/content/d...pplication.pdf

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/cere...icago-medicine

My understanding is that parking garage was also built with a hardened core / floor so that a medical office building could also be built on top eventually.

I believe the ER / trauma center is one of the most advanced and expensive in the city, if not the most advanced and expensive.

This is good info, thank you. My biggest complaint is the look and feel of the waiting area. Definitely doesn't feel hospitable (pun intended) and it's tight on space. Not even a clear dropoff/pickup area. But maybe that's just how ERs are now, as someone above mentioned NWM not being much better.

[WestsideLA]

Originally Posted by BrinChi

This is good info, thank you. My biggest complaint is the look and feel of the waiting area. Definitely doesn't feel hospitable (pun intended) and it's tight on space. Not even a clear dropoff/pickup area. But maybe that's just how ERs are now, as someone above mentioned NWM not being much better.

Never actually been there. In fact, this was built after last time I was back to campus. When I first heard it was being built inside the parking garage, I thought that sounded a bit different, too, but I guess I've just gotten used to it. And I guess "mixed use" is the thing these days.

I do know they've had issues with people gathering outside the ER and have gone on lock down from time to time. I don't know if the lack of waiting room is intentional to not encourage a crowd or not...

[WestsideLA]

Originally Posted by Rally Monkey

My thought is that it will be used as additional academic and administrative space for the University. Maybe to house an academic program. The building isn't really designed for commercial space.

I think this marks the first time UChicago is crossing 55th St for classroom space. Of course, they had dorms around the neighborhood in the past and apartment buildings. And now the office space on 53rd St. But I think this is the first academic space across 55th. Would rather UChicago gets it than someone else since it's so closed to campus.

[WestsideLA]

Originally Posted by Rally Monkey

Ah, I found it! Here's information about the fossil lab project: https://paulborgconstruction.com/fossil-lab. As I guessed, it's in the old warehouse space next to the iconic Ms. Biscuit restaurant, across from the Schulze Building. That's going to really activate this historic corner.

Not to start a furor, but this reminds me of that old warehouse they tore down on Stony Island near Solstice on the Park.

[WestsideLA]

Hey, I just found this "design concept" for the New Science and Engineering Building online. This, of course, doesn't mean it's the final design but I believe it gives a glimpse of the kind of thing under consideration:



https://www.hdrinc.com/portfolio/uni...ience-building

It shows it in context--south of Ratner. North of Eckhardt, etc.

[SIGSEGV]

Well that sure will ruin the view from Hubble lounge ...

[Rally Monkey]

Originally Posted by WestsideLA

Hey, I just found this "design concept" for the New Science and Engineering Building online. This, of course, doesn't mean it's the final design but I believe it gives a glimpse of the kind of thing under consideration:



https://www.hdrinc.com/portfolio/uni...ience-building

It shows it in context--south of Ratner. North of Eckhardt, etc.

Good find! Obviously it's still early, but I like what I'm seeing here. The elements that stand out to me are the plaza/gathering space on the northeast corner, the curved lines that help integrate Ratner and the Mansueto Library into the environment, and the scale, which seems less huge than I'd anticipated). I think it's a very cool design.

One possible dissenting note: The main thing I'm really hoping to see this project do is create an opening at the east edge of the quad onto Ellis Ave. that frames the Nuclear Energy statue anchoring the mid-block between 56th and 57th. A view corridor through the North Science Quad that centers the statue would create a clean, iconic link between the north edge of the medical school campus and the College and enhance the pedestrian experience. It's hard to tell from this picture what's happening on that side of the building.

[WestsideLA]

Harper Court Phase II:

https://www.trammellcrow.com/en/abou...abs-in-chicago

[Klippenstein]

Originally Posted by WestsideLA

Harper Court Phase II:

https://www.trammellcrow.com/en/abou...abs-in-chicago

They have not started vertical construction, but I saw something that looked like a soil testing rig on site yesterday.

[WestsideLA]

At 1:16:15, President Alivisatos acknowledges the University is considering making it requirement to live on campus 3 or 4 years, or at least be able to offer that. Which means the University is looking into building more dorms--not just a dorm. I believe they say the University houses 60% of the 7,500 undergrads. So if you got up to a point where 80% or 90% were housed, I'm assuming you would need at least one or two more dorms.

https://youtu.be/JNtylGOvzKQ

[Bonsai Tree]

^^What a scam. 3-4 years? That's insane

[Klippenstein]

Construction under way at Harper Court Phase II. These are from the past week.

[gandalf612]

Originally Posted by Bonsai Tree

^^What a scam. 3-4 years? That's insane

Harvard doesn't have a requirement to live on campus, but 95% of students do anyway. It's not uncommon for elite liberal arts universities to require or encourage it. They think living in a "scholarly community" is a key tenet of a liberal arts education